All athletes lining up at the start line at this
year’s World Rowing Championships on
Lake Karapiro in New Zealand will have
worked hard to get there. They share the
same aspirations, hopes and dreams of
representing their nation on the world
rowing stage. Some may have had to battle
their way through injuries, colds and flus,
others may have had to overcome major or
minor physical or mental challenges to
get there.
“What does not kill you only makes you stronger” is a
popular phrase used by coaches and athletes alike
on the journey to success. But when New Zealand
rower Fiona Paterson will line at up at the start
in Karapiro together with partner in the double
Emma Feathery, her journey will add a whole new
dimension to this phrase. Fi, as everybody calls her,
will be lining up on her home course after surviving
cervical cancer and will have no doubts about her
inner strength after having made it that far.
Paterson, who is the second youngest of seven
children and was raised on a sheep farm in Central
Otago, picked-up rowing at boarding school
in Dunedin. She was first selected for the New
Zealand Junior Team in 2000 and subsequently
rowed in several junior and under- 23 team boats,
winning gold in the under- 23 quad in 2004.
It has been an amazing comeback, and racing in
front of a home crowd will not only be a special
moment for her, but also for all those who stood
by her side and supported her on her inspirational
journey: “Me coming back after my illness was a
In February 2006 at the age of 22, following a
prolonged period of reduced athletic performance
and severe fatigue, Fiona was diagnosed with clear
cell cervical cancer, a rare and aggressive form >
